Safe to run Check Disk / CHKDSK on a SSD / Solid State Drive - My Experience.
I am just one person with one brand of SSD, but when I ran check disk with the "recover bad sectors options" selected I lost 27 GB of my SSD to bad sectors, these are what I understand to be soft bad sectors and would go away with a reformat.

My drive is a PCIe Revo Drive from OCZ, so I did a search and found others with the same problem. Do not "attempt to recover bad sectors" on an SSD.

"For these same symptoms to manifest with 3 separate drives is unlikely,
so it would appear more likley that the corrupted sector information
comes as a result of enumeration issues as opposed to physical failure
at the drive translation/nand level."

Tuesday, 18 September 2012

There is not a alot you can say about this offering from surly, other that I can verify that is is good quality, and chunkier than the aaaaverage set clamp. The bolt is big, and hopefully it will keep my seat post in one place.

Surly Restrictor Seat Clamp Pics

Surly Restrictor Seat Clamp Observations

There is a weird collar that pokes up around the top of the clamp, I am not sure what this is for, will it collect dirt next to the seat tube, maybe, do I care . .no.

If you need a high quality rack pack ( a pannier that mounts on top of you pannier rack rather than at the sides) then look no further than the Carradice Super C Rack Pack. Made in the UK from cotton and built to last it truly is a lovely pice of kit.

I purchased this Carradice Super C Rack Pack to fit on my folding bike (giant conway folding bike), as there is not enough clearance for my heals when pedaling if I use a side mounted pannier.

Carradice Super C Rack Pack Review - Build Quality

I paid £ 60 for my bag from some online retailer, and so I was expecting somthing failry well made, and that is exactly what I got, the bag is bomb proof, and although time is the ultimate test I have a feeling that the bag will last. For those of you who are familiar with the old army webbing pouches, that is the style of construction, built to last for sure.

Carradice Super C Rack Pack Review - Fitting

There are four velcro straps that are used, the rack on the bike I fitted it too was smaller than average, but it fits on very securely no worries there.Carradice Super C Rack Pack Review - Style . . .

Dare I say it (wince) but this is probably suitable to carry around over your shoulder with the supplied strap. It is a nice looking bag, if you compare it to some of the offerings from ortlieb etc, it has a bit of a nostalgic look about it.Carradice Super C Rack Pack- Official Write UP from Carradice

Tough 100% Waterproof Cotton DuckHeavy duty black cotton duck delivers super performance year in, year out in the toughest of conditions. The durability of cottonduck makes it a great choice for situations in which a strong, hardy fabric is needed. Many hard laborers, for example, swear by the quality of garments made with cottonduck, which protect them from the perils of the workplace. Easily straps to any rackDrawcord top under easy access lidAll round reflective strips and LED mounting strap to rearCarry handle on lid plus shoulder strap for off bike carryingIdeal for long day or weekend ridesEnvironmental Permitting

Thursday, 6 September 2012

These Kenda Tyres (K 123) also branded as giant super light came fitted to my Giant Conway 1.0 folding bike. And are very average in fact they are soooo average I am not sure I will able to keep awake writing this post.

Kenda K123 / Giant Super Light Tyre - Tread

The tread ion these K 123 tires is an all rounder and on the whole is perfect for just about everyting you might want to do on a bike. BUT

Kenda K123 / Giant Super Light Tyre - Build Quality

As with other kenda tires , the build quality is only OK, you get what you pay for. With a max pressure rating of 45 psi these tires are only any good for very light people. I have had some other kenda tiresin the past ( Kenda Semi Slick K847) and they didn't last long, but they were very cheap.

Kenda K123 / Giant Super Light Tyre - Sizes

I have these tyres in a 16" size but there are other sizes available. 18", 20" and 24".

Kenda K123 / Giant Super Light Tyre - Price

At about £5 / $7 a pop these are about as cheap as tires get, but you get what you pay for.

As an alternative I would recommend Schwable Kojaks, Schwable Big Apples or Continental Super Tour all of which are available in 16".

My Giant Conway 1.0 was on sale for £110 nearly new. I am still trying to work out whether I have got a bargain or not. It is Giant brand so you would expect functional quality and up until now that seems about right. I have now upgraded this folding bike.

Giant Conway 1.0 Folding Bike - Weight

The first thing I noticed (when I took delivery) was the weight, official stats put the bike at around 11 kg, which is not too bad. But I am not convinced this is accurate, it feels heavy for its size. The frame, seat post, mud guards, main part of steerer, are all steel. With alloy only for the bars.

Giant Conway 1.0 Folding Bike - Folding

The Conway 1.0 folds up quiet easily, but could do with folding peddles as these add to the width a fair amount. Don't get be wrong it will go in the boot of a car easily, even a small car, but it makes for a knobbly package.

Giant Conway 1.0 Folding Bike - The RideThis is fine. The ride comfort is surprisingly good, with an upright position if you want and a more "flat back" ride if you prefer, the adjust-ability is immense I am 6 ft 1", and I am pretty sure my 4 year old daughter could ride this as well.

Being single speed you are limited to how strong your legs are as to where you can cycle, steep hills are not OK, but shallow ones are fine, and walking or riding up a steep hill takes around the same amount of effort anyway, if a little slower.

The biggest let down are the tires, which only inflate to 45 psi, even for a fairly light rider (which I am not) this is not high enough. I overinflated the rear tire to around 60 psi, and it didn't explode. See one of my other posts for a detailed look at the Kenda 123 tyres.

The bike has a nice little rack over the rear wheel, but don't expect to put any panniers on this bike as your foot will bump in to them whilst peddling. A rack pack is your best bet, or maybe something on the handle bars.

Giant Conway 1.0 Folding Bike - BrakesIt is a long time since I have ridden a bike without v-brakes. Oh my goodness calliper brakes on the front are fairly useless, and the rear hub brake (although neat) is not much better. However with both clamped on as hard as possible you can pull up fairly quickly and the fact that you won't be traveling too fast helps.

Giant Conway 1.0 Folding Bike - Suggested Extras / Upgrades
I would suggest getting some better tires for this bike that inflate to at least 65 psi or higher. Schwable Kojaks would be ideal, or continental super tours. The mud guards are pretty snug so I wouldn't increase the width.

Update 12/ 11/12 - I have upgraded the tires for some Schwable Marathons with Green Guard. Which have made this bike roll very well. The gearing is a little low for a strong rider. I have also changed the brake levers they were rather bendy under load, and have swapped them for some alloy one. Braking is still poor, especially on the front brake!